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Who Wrote the Zohar? and Does It Even Matter?

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Who Wrote the Zohar? and Does It Even Matter? Who Wrote the Zohar? and does it even matter? Rabbi Philip Moskowitz Boca Raton Synagogue [email protected] Who Wrote the Zohar? #1 Major Trends in Jewish What is included in Mystcism Gershon Sholem the Zohar? Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !1 Who Wrote the Zohar? #2 Idra Zuma (Zohar III p. 287b) [Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said,] "The holy matters that I did not reveal until now, I wish to reveal in the presence of the Shechina, so that no one will say that I left the world without fulfilling my task and that I concealed [these secrets] in my heart until now so that they would come with me to the World to Come. I will present them to you; Rabbi Abba shall write, and Rabbi Elazar my son will review them, and the remaining circle of disciples must whisper them in their hearts." Where was the #3 Shem HaGedolim Zohar Hiding? Zayin, 8 Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !2 Who Wrote the Zohar? # Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !3 Who Wrote the Zohar? #4 Sefer Yuchsin # R. Avraham Zacut (1425-1515) Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !4 Who Wrote the Zohar? # Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !5 Who Wrote the Zohar? # Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !6 Who Wrote the Zohar? # Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !7 Who Wrote the Zohar? #5 Major Trends in Jewish Mystcism Gershon Sholem Academics vs. #6 Te Zohar’s Mystrious Origins Traditionalists Moshe Miler, chabad.org Topographical deceptions and errors: According to Profs. Gershom Scholem (ad loc) and Isaiah Tishby (Mishnat HaZohar (English) p. 63 ff.), an analysis of the names of places mentioned in the Zohar reveals that its author used spurious place names, since several of the places mentioned "are not mentioned in the Mishna or the Beraita or any other place known to me!" (Scholem, ad loc) From this he concludes that "the author had never so much as set foot in Palestine and that his knowledge of the country was derived entirely from literary sources. Localities which owe their existence in literature to the misreading of mediaeval Talmudic manuscripts are selected as the stage of mystical revelations. Whole villages are set up on the authority of some Talmudic passage the meaning of which has eluded the author." Scholem brings as his prime proof a place called in the Zohar "Kapotkia, which for the author is not the province of Kappadocia in Asia Minor, but a village, apparently in the Lower Galilee, frequently visited by the adepts on their journeys." (Major Themes, ibid.) Language and Grammar: "The Aramaic of the Zohar is a purely artificial affair, a literary language employed by a writer who obviously knew no other Aramaic than that of certain Jewish literary documents and who fashioned his own style in accordance with definite subjective Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !8 Who Wrote the Zohar? criteria…. Throughout these writings the spirit of mediaeval Hebrew, specifically the Hebrew of the thirteenth century, is transparent…. “ Vocabulary and phraseology: "One frequently encounters mediaeval Hebrew expression, particularly from the language of the philosophers, in Aramaic disguise." (Major Themes p. 165) According to the academics the author also misunderstood certain expressions that he found in his literary sources, and "stretches the meaning of ancient words in an entirely arbitrary fashion and frequently employs them for the purpose of paraphrasing termini technici." (Major Themes p. 165.) Medieval concepts found in the Zohar: We will again examine whether these concepts are exclusive to the Zohar, or whether they are also found in other ancient sources. Biographical and chronological errors: "The contradictions and the chronological inexactitudes which appear in connection with the rabbis mentioned in the Zohar are the most obvious indications of its pseudo-epigraphic character… The earliest Tannaim and the latest Amoriam are put together, even as members of the same band of scholars…." (Mishnat HaZoharp. 58-9) There are also "chronological contradictions and mistakes in nomenclature…" (Mishnat HaZohar, ibid) The Responses 1) Topographical deceptions and errors Scholem (and his student Tishby) cites 18 places in the Zohar where a place called Kapotkia is mentioned. Scholem argues that no such place ever existed in Israel, and it was never mentioned in Talmudic or Midrashic sources as a place in Israel, but rather as a province named Kappadokia in Asia Minor. The following is a list of sources where the place Kapotkia appears - in Targum Onkelos, Targum Yonatan, Mishnah, Babylonian Talmud and severalMidrashim! An examination of these sources reveals that none other than Scholem and Tishby were either ignorant of basic sources… or attempted to deliberately mislead their readers. Targum Onkelos to Devarim 2:23; Targum Yonatan to Amos 9:1 ("the Philistines from Kapotkia" - the land of the Philistines is in the Gaza Strip area, not very far from Lod); Mishnah Ketubot 13:10, 11; Shabbat 26a, 134a;Yevamot 25b, 121a; Ketubot 10a, 110b; Bava Batra 58b; Chulin 47b;Yerushalmi Yevamot 38a; S h i r Hashirim Rabba 7:5; Kohelet Rabba 11:1;Tanchuma Va'era 13; ibid. BeHa'alotecha 1. 2) Language and Grammar Scholem's lack of sourcing is itself indicative of academic slopppiness at best... The word from the Zohar is in bold; what follows are other sources where the same (or minimally different) expression is used. Chavaru (Zohar II, 72b): Also found in Targum Yonatan, Vayikra 13:55, 56. Also, k'chavari is found in Bava Kama 93b; Chulin 76a et al. L'chishu (Zohar II, 76a): Similar forms such as l'chushu and ilchisha are found in Talmud. See e.g. Yoma 82b. Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !9 Who Wrote the Zohar? 3) Medieval Hebrew expressions (Kedari p. 148) The claim is that Hebrew expressions first used in medieval times were used by the author of the Zohar, showing that it must have been compiled by someone [i.e., Moshe de Leon] during this era. As demonstrated below, many of these expressions are also found in early sources, contrary to the skeptics' claims. Shituf (Zohar I, 22b, 136 b etc.) This a concept meaning "partnership", in which various gods or angels participate in running the world. Permitted by Torah to non-Jews (as opposed to idolatry), but forbidden to Jews. [Sukka 45b: "Amar lo Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai, h'lo kol hamishatef shem shamayim" for exactly the same idea.] 4) Medieval Concepts found in the Zohar (Kedari p. 143) Another claim of the academics is that concepts found in the Zohar are clearly of medieval origin, and are not found in earlier Jewish literature. This proves, according to the academics, that the Zohar was written at a much later date than the era of Rashbi. The terms in question are found in many other early sources besides the Zohar… It must be pointed out in general that this is a very weak proof, for the exact reverse could also be argued - that these medieval works borrowed the terminology of the Zohar, rather than vice versa. Pursuit of this argument is unnecessary, since, in any case, many of the terms in question are found in many other early sources besides the Zohar. 5) Biographical and chronological errors In general, as anyone who has studied a chapter of Gemara knows, the style of the Talmudic discourses is such that sages from different generations are brought together in the discussion.# Where do the Rabbi’s Stand? #7 Shut” Vayichtv Mordechai #8 Mishnah Chachamim R. Moshe Hagiz (1671-1750) Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !10 Who Wrote the Zohar? # #9 Igrot HaRiya v. 2 R. Avraham Yitzchak Kook Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !11 Who Wrote the Zohar? # #10 Mor U’Ktziya 25 #11 Shem ha-Gedolim Chida, p. 253 "I recently came across the sefer Matpachas Seforim. I noticed - after a brief examination - his astounding assessment that it was not from a Tanna but from later sources and he q u e s t i o n s t h e g r e a t n e s s a n d awesomeness of the Zohar. I was extremely astonished at his words in general and in particular because of our masters Rav Moshe Kordevero and the Arizal who had ruach hakodesh as well as giloi Eliyahu and knowledge of everything in the world was open to them. Therefore it appears to me that the rav [Yaavetz] knew in truth the nature of the holy Zohar. However in his zealousness against the cursed cult who transgress kares and misas beis din and who base themselves on phrases from the Zohar he felt a need to destroy their basis and to say these criticisms because of Ais La'asos and his intent was pure. G-d in His mercy should judge him favorably." Rabbi Philip Moskowitz ~ Boca Raton Synagogue Page !12 Who Wrote the Zohar? #12 Shu”t Chasam Sofer, volume 6, siman 59. Behold, the sefer Mitpachat Sefarim is found in your n e i g h b o r h o o d , f r o m Moreinu HaRav Yaakov ben Tzvi {=the Yaavetz, Rav Yaakov Emden}, and you will find there that the prophet za"l said a great thing in this matter, which will cause astonishment in those who see it, and it is sufficient to the wise # #13 Sefer Mei Menuchot 43a R. Eliezer Lipman Naizats "And of the haggadot of Chazal in this {meaning demons}, behold it is already known their approach za"l in holiness, to hide their inner meaning within allegory, flowery phrases and riddles in their haggadot, za'l.
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